James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

This is an important topic - an Teachta Ó Súilleabháin touched on it earlier - and there is funding for it. There is an annual fund of €900,000 to support greater use of Irish by students and staff, not necessarily in terms of the educational provision but among themselves, in their day-to-day activities in the staffroom, etc. There is also the €1.8 million given to Acadamh na hOllscoilaíochta Gaeilge in the University of Galway, which is for the provision of higher education through the medium of Irish. This is a really important fund. There is also the gníomhaí Gaeilge initiative which provides a fund of €200,000, to develop Irish language skills through Irish-language clubs, societies, in partnership with the USI and Conradh na Gaeilge. This is less by means of formal education and more of an immersion culture, which Conradh na Gaeilge and Gaelchultúr would advocate for. It is Irish-language activities on campus. It is an important issue. I note what the Deputy has said about the Gaeltacht. Having spent a little bit of time in the Gaeltacht, I know that there is no substitute for the immersion one gets there. We all have some Irish from the education system but sometimes it is suppressed or latent. Having the Gaeltacht experience allows it to emerge again; I agree with the Deputy on that point.